A Tale of Two Cities

A re-telling of the classic Dickens story "A Tale of Two Cities", this time with vampires, some interesting plot twists and a "Wow!" ending.

Excerpt:

Monsieur the Marquis was about to take his chocolate. Monseigneur could swallow a great many things with ease, and was by some few sullen minds supposed to be rather rapidly swallowing France.

Since the accession of the new king in 1774, Monsieur the Marquis had adopted the disagreeable habit (which he would never have done during the reign of the old King who had executed Monsieur's brother for such improprieties) of frequently changing himself into a huge beast, with formidable teeth and fur which had a reddish tinge. He ate women and children and 'shepherdesses celebrated for their beauty'; he pursued armed horsemen; he had been seen at broad noonday chasing a post-chaise and outrider along the king's high-road, and chaise and outrider fleeing before him at the gallop. He had no regard for the new King or the new King's law prohibiting indiscriminate feeding on men, and tore out his victims throats with gusto before drinking their blood and devouring their bodies; but, his morning's chocolate could not so much as get into the throat of Monseigneur, without the aid of four strong men besides the cook.

Yes. It took four men, to conduct the happy chocolate to Monseigneur's lips. One lackey carried the chocolate-pot into the sacred presence; a second, milled and frothed the chocolate with the little instrument he bore for that function; a third, presented the favored napkin; a fourth poured the chocolate out. It was impossible for Monseigneur to dispense with one of these attendants on the chocolate and hold his high place under the admiring Heavens.